


Revolutionary Etude

by JkWriter



Series: Midnight [4]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Chopin - Freeform, Chopin Etude, M/M, Piano, Revolutionary Etude, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 16:25:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6477490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JkWriter/pseuds/JkWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was his sad song, but Phil would always be right behind it. Ready to pick up any pieces that may fall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revolutionary Etude

Ever since Phil had bought him the score for the Revolutionary Etude Dan had taken to playing it on the days the world seemed against him. 

Whether it be something simple or something great, he would play the song when tears threatened to spill from his eyes. 

It was strange being that this was his ‘sad song’. 

The song with so much emotion. The song that was written in the midst of a war. The song that was supposed to sound like cannonballs were pounding right outside the door. 

It was the typical quiet song. 

In a way it was like the Moonlight Sonata. The song contradicting his mood when he played it. 

He played the angry song when he was sad and the sad song when he was angry. 

 

Phil had taken to wandering into Dan’s room whenever he heard the first chord of the song. 

He knew it was the song Dan played when something was bothering. That was why he had bought it in the first place. So Dan could have a song to turn to that wouldn’t taint the happiness of Fur Elise. 

It didn’t make hearing his best friend play it any easier. It still hurt knowing Dan was aching and there was nothing he could do. 

That didn’t stop him from sitting on Dan’s bed while he played.   
He might not have been able to help Dan right away, but he would be there when the younger was ready to talk. 

 

Dan would play the song differently based on how bad he was hurt. 

Had he started playing in tears the song would begin strong and only quiet down according to the music. Everything would be based off of the score and nothing would occur differently. 

Had the tears been there, ready to spill but not yet falling, Dan would start off quietly. He would play the song beginning at a slow tempo, slowly speeding up until by the end of the second page he was playing at tempo with his fingers pounding down into the keys. 

Typically on the days he played the song like that he was in sobs by the end of it. 

The end of it. He didn’t stop, not until the final chords echoed through the apartment. 

It was then, and only then, he let his walls break. 

 

That was when Phil came in. 

He would step over and wrap his arms around Dan. Dan, in turn, would bury his face in Phil’s chest and let himself break down. 

It wasn’t something that happened very often in the apartment, but on the days it did they were always there for each other. 

 

****

 

Phil didn’t expect to hear the Revolutionary Etude through the thin walls of their apartment. 

Especially not at midnight. 

That didn’t stop him from getting out of bed. While he planned on going to sleep somewhat early that night, Dan was more important. 

He walked from his room and padded across the hall to Dan’s. 

The door was cracked letting the music drift through the halls. Had it been any other song he might stand there and appreciate the music, but it wasn’t the time for that right now. 

Dan was hurting and needed him. 

He pushed open the door and walked into the room. Dan was facing his keyboard with his back to the door. 

Phil went to his usual spot on Dan’s bed and sat there, watching as Dan started and stopped the song, muttered under his breath, and then started again. 

This was different. Dan didn’t usually play the song like this. He would play through it all the way, not stop half way through. Nor would he play with such a… Blank expression on his face. 

He wasn’t playing with even half of the usual emotion he invested into the song. 

 

Dan knew this song by heart. 

Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 12. 

The song was within his heart and soul. 

Yet he couldn’t play it. 

Every line there was some mistake. He missed a note on the chord, he messed up the fingering with the run. 

It seemed that no matter how many times he restarted the song there was a mistake somewhere along the way. 

He wasn’t even upset today. He just wanted to play it. 

Here he was not able to get through it. 

Tears of frustration grew in his eyes. 

How was he supposed to play this song if he couldn’t get through it without making a mistake? The answer seemed simple really, he didn’t. 

There wasn’t a way to play it. 

 

Phil watched as Dan ripped his hands from the keyboard. He could see the tears in his eyes and knew they weren’t tears of sadness. Phil knew Dan better than that. 

These tears were something new. 

They weren’t from sadness or joy, so perhaps anger? 

No. If Dan was angry he would be playing the Moonlight Sonata, not this. 

This made Dan seem, frustrated?

Frustrated. 

He pressed down a little too hard on the keys, let his fingers linger just a little more than necessary. 

In short, Dan was butchering the song. 

It sounded nothing like the usual passion filled masterpiece he used to place. 

Phil didn’t know much about the piano or about the music but he knew the songs Dan played. 

This wasn’t it. 

This was an emotionless piece. It was like Dan couldn’t even hear himself play. 

 

Dan felt like screaming.

The song wasn’t coming out how it was supposed to, how he knew it sounded. 

He couldn’t help the tears falling down his face. 

He was frustrated. 

Never before had he struggled so much with piano, especially on a song he knew by heart. 

 

Phil pushed himself off the bed. 

He knew Dan was feeling frustrated and he wanted to help. While there wasn’t much he could do there was one thing. 

“Dan?” 

The younger male didn’t respond when Phil called his name, nor did he respond when the arms wrapped around him. 

“I know you can hear me. Come on.” 

Phil tugged Dan up away from chair acting as his piano bench and pulled him to the bed. 

“You don’t need to play anymore. We’re going to sleep.” 

There was still no response from Dan. Phil frowned, but didn’t try to push Dan to talk. 

Instead he fell back on the bed and allowed Dan to lie next to him. It took a few minutes but eventually Dan curled into Phil, cuddling up to him. 

“I don’t know why I kept messing up.”

A soft voice said. 

Phil let his fingers run through Dan’s hair. Dan leaned into the touch. 

“You were getting frustrated. It happens to the best of us. You need to take a break every now and then, don’t push yourself too hard.” 

Phil felt it before he heard it. 

The shaking of Dan’s body signaling the tears which were about to start. 

He pulled Dan close and allowed him to break. 

 

Dan wasn’t sure why he was crying. 

Was it just the pent up frustration or was there something more hidden beneath his tears? 

He didn’t think much into it.

Instead he focused on Phil. On his breathing, on his words, until finally Dan was able to fall into a restless sleep. 

 

Phil didn’t leave after Dan had fallen asleep. 

He kept holding him, kept whispering to him. 

Because if that’s what Dan needed right then than he would be there. 

Even though the Revolutionary Etude was there for Dan to vent his sadness into, Phil would be right behind it. Ready to pick up any pieces that may fall.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. I feel like I left the theme of sadness and went more into frustration.


End file.
